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Hey Charlie, the "starting weights" we show on the website represent the lightest available configuration for a given product. In the case of 38 that is with a Grip X damper, which weighs about 175g less than a Grip X damper on average. To compare apples-to-apples, you'd have to compare both forks with the same damper and Podium only comes with Grip X2 so you have to compare it to a 38 with Grip X2. That where the 314g figure comes from, give or take a few grams.

We machine bores in the crown, accessing via the openings for the steer tube and the upper tubes before they are pressed in. In the case of Podium, we could effectively drill as many as 3 bores to remove material but in the end we settled on 2 bores (as I recall) to remove as much weight as possible without negatively affecting our rigorous stiffness requirements. This approach is cost effective and in this case we are able to remove as much material as needed without having to resort to more expensive manufacturing methods, such as the one you describe...